The Spirit Circle

by Tara Calaby

For Ellen Whitfield, the betrothal of her dear friend Harriet to Ellen’s brother has brought both loss and solace. But when Harriet suddenly breaks off the engagement, ostensibly at the insistence of her deceased mother, Ellen is bewildered. And when she learns that Harriet is involved with a spiritualist group led by the charismatic Caroline McLeod, she fears losing her friend altogether.

So it is that practical, sceptical Ellen moves into the gloomy East Melbourne mansion where Caroline, along with her enigmatic daughter Grace, has assembled a motley court of the bereaved. Ellen’s intention is to expose the simple trickery—the hidden cabinets and rigged seances, the levers and wires—that must surely lie behind these visits from the departed.

What she discovers is altogether more complicated.

Tara Calaby weaves a compelling and richly detailed narrative around the romance of old Melbourne in this intriguing, possibly supernatural, historical mystery.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Lesbian, Historical, LGBT, Fiction, Queer, Fantasy

384 pages, Paperback

Published January 7, 2025

About the author

Tara Calaby is an English-Australian writer and editor, living in Gippsland, Australia with their incredible wife and far too many books and DVDs. Calaby's doctoral research focused on the social worlds of women in Victorian lunatic asylums, which was the inspiration for their debut novel, House of Longing (Text, 2023). This was followed by The Spirit Circle (Text, 2025). Calaby's speculative and historical short stories have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies.

NB: I use Goodreads as a reader, not an author, and have a policy of not engaging with reviews of my work. Chat to me on socials instead! Many of the books listed here were read for research purposes and the views expressed within them do not necessarily reflect my own.

Reviews

[Jülie ☼♄  · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Melbourne in the late 1800’s this historical gothic thriller woven around supernatural/occult themes and spiritualism has all the hallmarks I love in a book.
Add in the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this author’s last book, which was her debut book ‘House of Longing’…I was excited to read this one…And I wasn’t disappointed.

The Spirit Circle is a nice easy yet compelling read and has all the intriguing twists and turns that keep you turning the pages.

Melbourne in the 1800’s is described perfectly, and the interest in all things supernatural is something that was a popular attraction with many psychics offering their services through newspaper advertisements making a reasonable living.
One particular psychic, Caroline, and her daughter Grace, set the theme for this story where a group of women sharing the same house invite Harriet to join their circle.

When Harriet suddenly breaks off her engagement to her best friend Ellen’s brother William to move into the house and join the circle, Ellen is completely perplexed. She can’t believe her friend has fallen for such a trick. She promises William she will not stop until she brings Harriet back.
Harriet is convinced that the spirits of her deceased family can bring messages of comfort to her through Caroline and the circle.
Ellen visits the house with the intention of convincing Harriet to come home but is instead convinced to stay and see what the attraction is before deciding that it is fake.

Now things start to get even more interesting, will Ellen convince Harriet to come home and rekindle her engagement to William? Or….has Ellen bitten off more than she can chew? Things start happening at the house which can’t be readily explained and the plot starts to thicken.

Only time constraints and commitments stopped me from reading this book a lot faster than I was able to, if not for those constraints I would have found it hard to put down.
I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Tara Calaby in the future.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.

4⭐️s

[Craig and Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big thanks to Text Publishing for sending us a copy to read and review.
Ever since I read Tara’s debut House Of Longing which is a book I adored, I’ve been eagerly awaiting for the next release.
After much anticipation it’s here…….
The Spirit Circle is an exhilarating, memorable and captivating read.
Ellen’s best friend Harriet is engaged to her brother William.
But then out of the blue Harriet breaks it off and Ellen is confused as to why.
It soon becomes apparent that Harriet did this at the request of her dead mother.
Harriet is a member of the spirit circle and about to move into a mansion where spiritualist Caroline McLeod is the leader.
Ellen is dubious and suspicious so she follows Harriet to find out more.
Among them is a motley crew of people involved with the gatherings.
Ellen’s objective is to expose it all as a scam but what she discovers is something much more complicated……..
The ambience of apparitions in a gothic style manor with a selection of dissimilar women with different beliefs in a historical ghostly story.
Set in what feels like the Victorian period, it’s a believe it or not mood mystery.
Woven through the narrative is also a taboo but sensual love affair, family drama, friendship and compassion.
Vivid, striking, acute, emotional and totally noteworthy.
A definite book to get your hands on, on release day and a book I loved.

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fiction about queer characters living their truths under the weight of heteronormative oppression, so I was immediately drawn to this lush Gothic thriller about a woman, Ellen, who seeks to rescue her dear friend, Harriet, from the clutches of spiritualism after she unexpectedly breaks off an engagement to her brother.

Ellen, a lesbian when there were no words or examples to explain her feelings toward other women at that time, was at one time in love with Harriet, who had teased her with kisses and touches that Harriet felt were merely platonic - and later was unneccessarily cruel to Ellen about the way things were, but Ellen's affections eventually cool to sisterly love. I was grateful this didn't turn into a love triangle.

Beset by grief after her family dies in a shipwreck, Harriet becomes immersed in a spiritualist church in their home of Melbourne, Australia, which holds seances and claims to speak to the dead.

A woman of science and logic, the practical skeptic Ellen resolves to expose the fraud of the spiritualists. But she becomes enamored by the found family of women she finds in the church house, all united in grief and sisterhood, and a maternal figure in Caroline, their leader. And she finds an unexpected heat with Grace, Caroline's daughter, who is rude and unwelcoming at first. Could this time her romantic longings be exchanged with something more than platonic affection?

Thus follows a charismatic leader, family secrets and even murder as Ellen becomes swept up in forbidden love, sapphic yearning and her beliefs about the supernatural begin to shift. The murder mystery bits felt rushed and a lot of the pacing was focused on Ellen's belief and her conversion, but overall I loved the atmospheric, cinematic writing style.

It did not turn out the way I expected at all, either. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending.

A delightful, wonderfully written story and an unexpected find.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Text Publishing]

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing, publisher of The Spirit Circle:

‘Thrilling sapphic historical fiction…A poignant exploration of love, grief, sexuality and perseverance.’
Books+Publishing

‘An emotionally intelligent and moving supernatural romance for actual adults, full of deft period detail.’
Age

[Anna Vaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry I don’t have better things to say about this book, it seemed like it would be right up my alley.

Ellen’s best friend gives up her life for a spiritualistic cult and Ellen follows her in, supposedly to rescue her friend but ultimately loses herself too in the seances, charismatic leader, and falling for the leader’s daughter.

This book was ostensibly a mystery, but unfortunately every assumption you make about what is behind the spiritualism is correct. It’s super disappointing that there was not really one surprise for an aware reader. Ellen herself even wonders about twists that ultimately prove correct, but she still mindlessly follows the cult. Even after people have died and the truth has been revealed.

Another sticking point for me was the love story. It felt very formulaic, enemies to lovers, and again, it goes exactly how you think it would. Complete with anachronistic treatment of two women in love in this time period.

The aspects of the book that saved it from a 1-star review for me were the highly descriptive and evocative atmosphere and overall readability.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This probably isn’t the full 4 stars but it’s a sweet love story set in Melbourne in the late 1800s and centred on a spiritual circle led by a woman, Caroline McLeod. Her late husband, Rev McLeod is her contact in the seances conducted at the big house where a varied group of women live, all bereaved in different ways (husband, child, parents etc). Ellen Whitfield comes to the house after her best friend, Harriet breaks off her engagement and stays at the house to be close to her mother who speaks to her during the seances. I really enjoyed the different relationships in the story, and there’s always something intriguing and gothic about Victorian era seances, and ouija boards and spirits and all that stuff. An enjoyable read.

[⋒ Natalie (she-her) ⋒ · Rating 2 out of 5]

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst the premise was everything I love in a book, having been obsessed with the sapphic gothic of Sarah Waters since I was young, unfortunately The Spirit Circle didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The first 60% (at least) is full of absolutely nothing, where we follow the MC as she (we?) has to endure what feels like endless seances that don’t particularly bring anything to the plot. I think it’s particularly difficult to read as there is an awful lot of telling instead of showing, resulting in very shallow characters and events. I felt very much like Adelaide, one of the young girls in Margaret’s house: “I’m just so bored!”

The plot was entirely predictable and there wasn’t a single surprise in sight. A number of deaths felt like they had been sprinkled in (to make it darker? More gothic?), rather than have an actual function to the plot or atmosphere. And when Ellen; a staunch non-believer, seems to have forgotten why she’s at the house within just a few days of arriving, even the author had to ask, “How had things changed so greatly in such a short space of time?” Beats me! It also felt a bit lazy to me to reveal that the seemingly supernatural phenomena had indeed been orchestrated, but with no explanation as to how, as if the author couldn’t be bothered to consider the practicalities herself.

I can see from the reviews that some people have absolutely loved this book, and for that I’m glad. It’s just not for me.

[Sandra "Jeanz" · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the cover of The Spirit Circle that first caught my attention, the deep blue background with the candles and flowers all of which feature in the book. Then once I read the blurb, I knew I wanted to read the book! I do find the spirit world, and things like tarot readers fascinating.

The book is set in East Melbourne Australia and the central characters are William Whitfield, Ellen Whitfield and Harriet Kirk. William lives with his spinster sister Ellen Whitfield. Harriet Kirk, Ellen’s friend lives alone, nearby the Whitfield siblings, as all her family died when the ship they were on sank at sea. Ellen and Harriet have become closer over the years, in fact, Ellen had romantic feelings for her friend that were unreciprocated. Their friendship continued despite the rebuttal. Harriet and William became close, dated and became engaged and Ellen is truly happy for her friend and brother. Once married it is planned that they will all live together in the Whitfield home. The wedding of William and Harriet has been postponed due to the mourning etiquette of the era, but William is happy to wait until Harriet feels it is the appropriate time. So, when Harriet suddenly calls off the engagement saying her mother told her to call it off, he is surprised as he always got on so well with Harriet’s family as well as being curious to how Mrs Kirk has told her daughter to call off their engagement/relationship from beyond the grave.

It turns out that Harriet has discovered a Spiritual Church and has been attending it for a while. It is there whilst in a séance circle that her mother spoke to her through the Circle leader Caroline and told her to break off her engagement with William. Harriet cannot seem to stay away from the Spiritual Church, in fact she confides in Ellen that she is going to move into the house where the Spiritual Church is based. Harriet tells Ellen that she feels safe and at “home” there and closer to her family again. Ellen tries to be the voice of reason asking Harriet about the home she is leaving, but Harriet reassures her she can/will come back when she is ready and she may even rent it out. Harriet then invites Ellen to visit her at the house where the Spiritual Church is based.

Ellen discusses the changes that Harriet is making in her life, with her brother William and naturally they are worried she is being taken advantage of. With her family gone, they are the only people to really look out for Harriet, and they are worried that this new on the scene Spiritual Church is just wanting Harriet’s money and property as her family left her quite comfortably off. Ellen explains that Harriet has invited her to visit her at the Spiritual Church house and suggests to William that maybe she should. Ellen plans to show her best friend Harriet that the Spiritual Church and its seances are nothing more than charlatans. Ellens idea is to visit and observe as much as possible, then work out how the séance’s etc work, to reveal the “tricks” that are being used against her friend.

Ellen does visit the once quite grand house that seems to have been let go into disrepair. The door is answered by the house owner Mrs Margaret Plumstead, herself a widow who is fiercely protective of the Church leader Caroline McLeod and isn’t afraid to make it known to new comers and anyone she may be suspicious of their motives for attending/visiting. Ellen visits on a few occasions welcomed by the house owner Margaret and Church leader Caroline. Everyone is very “normal” and welcoming, so much so Ellen feels a little guilty about the fact she is there on a mission to unmask their tricks! The only unwelcoming person in the house is Caroline’s daughter, Grace, a quiet, sullen young woman. At one point in the book Grace tries to warn Ellen off from becoming overly involved with the church. However this warning has the opposite effect on Ellen, who visits more and more, witnessing seances, and the use of the message boards. Ellen learns that the spirits communicate in various ways using Caroline as a conduit. The spirit may send a message via the dead Reverend McLeod who then speaks through Caroline with his voice. The spirits can also give Caroline the message directly for her to tell the recipient, or they can be asked questions and answer yes/no via sounds/taps on the séance table.
It's not long before Ellen is invited to move into the house and share a room with her friend Harriet. Ellen talks the idea over with William but has really already made up her mind to move in, though she is still determined to unmask Caroline as a fraud she is also becoming more and more drawn into the idea of those departed into spirit being able to speak to the living, even if it is via a third party or a variety of knocks on a table.
When Ellen moves in the house it’s full of women of various ages that have either lost husbands, or family members as well as a woman there who lost a child. All the women are waiting for a message from a departed love one for one reason or another. All the women have their own sad stories about those from their past they wish to have a message from. Even Ellen has suffered the loss of a loved one, though she keeps this information to herself, she is not really there to receive a message. Not everyone’s partners and families accept their loved ones living in the house in the hope of receiving messages from those departed loved one, very well. One husband becomes angry and tries to strongly persuade his wife to return home. Another rather spoilt young woman from a wealthy family, continually sways between staying as she likes being part of everything and getting a message but wanting to return to her family home to attend fancy balls and functions.
Mrs Plumstead is always quick to try to talk the women into staying, saying they never know when they’ll get a message and that if they only attend the church rather than living there, they could miss an opportunity. Caroline soon becomes attached and interested in Ellen saying she can sense she herself has a “gift” that if worked on could lead to her being able to communicate with spirit. Though sceptical, Ellen does some “work” on her gifts with Caroline. Theres a sudden increase in spiritual activity, it seems the departed are giving more physical messages for the women like a favourite flower, moving their things round etc.

When two mysterious deaths occur the suspicion immediately falls on those at the house when they cannot explain what happens there to the satisfaction of the Police.
The Police investigate - secrets are uncovered, lies discovered and half-truths exposed.
Caroline is under suspicion, until someone else comes forward as the culprit, not of murdering those that died but of creating circumstances that led to accidents and their deaths. It’s a really sad end for the character that comes forward, it is clear they were so desperate not to be lonely, to keep their spiritualist family together and caught up in keeping the mystery and magic of spiritualism going that they themselves gave a human living hand to the spirits which ended in disaster for the two characters that died, meaning they had an extremely sad ending themselves too.

I really enjoyed the book, the way Ellen initially started attending the Church to prove to her friend Harriet that she was being tricked, but Ellen ended up moving in and though I don’t think she ever truly, fully 100% believed, though she came pretty close when she received her own “message” from a departed loved one. The book is very cleverly written as even as a reader you feel your opinions of the Spiritual Church and its leader Caroline flipping from one view to the other. The book covers a few important issues such as grief, loneliness, abuse, sexuality and women’s rights. I think the character of William was a very patient and fairly modern male in his attitude to Harriet’s reasons for calling off their engagement, his sister then visiting the Spiritual Church services more and more often and leaving the family home where she was the one who “looked after” him and “the home” which in that era would have been looked upon as her “abandoning her duties” to move into the Spiritual Church House. William was the voice of reason when Ellen visited him when she needed to escape the Spiritual House, never ridiculing her, only being supportive and providing a listening ear. Grace was a complicated character torn between protecting and caring for her mother and being truthful and pursuing a relationship with Ellen which was frowned upon in that era too. Women may have had relationships but it would have been behind closed doors and never talked about. During her time at the house Grace appear to really dislike Ellen, she even warns her to leave the house. Then she seems to warm to Ellen and there is a budding relationship between them, though Caroline will always be Grace’s first priority.

When deaths occur and the Police are called in to investigate secrets are uncovered, lies discovered and half- truths exposed.


I really enjoyed learning the different stories and reasons for why the women were at the Spiritual Church house desperately awaiting messages from those in their lives who had died. Though most of the stories were emotional and I guess what I’m trying to say is I could understand why they felt the need for reassurance and messages from spirit.
I’ll admit that I’d had my suspicions and they were proven right about who the real 'puppeteer' of the spirit apparitions was. It was a seriously sad ending for them.

My immediate feeling upon finishing the book were “Wow, my suspicions were right”! But then there was the feeling of sadness, particularly for one of the characters and how things ended for her. I was also curious as to whether Caroline was going to continue her séances and a Spiritual Church House.

Summing up, The Spirit Circle it was an interesting historical fiction book that covers a lot of subjects from thoughts and feelings about grief and séances, to sexuality and family relationships. I really enjoyed reading this one a lot, I was as intrigued as Ellen at some points as to what was happening and how! I loved the descriptions of the séances the wind flowing round the room, flickering candles etc they really helped you visualise the scenes well. I’d say that The Spirit Circle had a similar feel to it as The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond by Amanda Glaze which I also loved. The Spirit Circle would make a great TV mini-series!

[Marles Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never underestimate the power belief, and the need to feel like you belong.
When Ellen’s best friend Harriet relinquished her engagement to her brother, William, Emma’s questions begin to build. Especially when Harriet decided to move into the premises of a church-style organisation who communicate with the dead through a medium, Caroline McLeod. Herein lies another twist: Caroline’s husband was a reverend and communicated from the dead with her during their spiritual meetings.
The idea of spiritualism in the 1800s is rather interesting and was more accepted than it ass compared to how people view mediums, seances and other mystic practices. The idea that Harriet gave up the one person who was going to a part of her life forever, because of her dead mother’s advice seemed so absurd to Ellen, and all the more reason to put her scepticism and cynicism aside to investigate whether there was anything untoward going on. Was this all just smoke and mirrors? Was Caroline the real deal? How was Grace connected to this all, apart from being Caroline daughter? What was the yearning and longing that Ellen wanted based on?
The other significant element in this book was about relationships, and feeling of belonging: the ending of Harriet and William’s engagement, the relationships between parents and children, from Caroline and Grace to Ellen’s own stifled connection with her parents, the relationship between the many women who lived in the house, the friendship between Harriet an Ellen, and the connection that Ellen and Grace had. They are all worth mentioning and naming because there are common threads to them all. The yearning to belong is a fundamental desire for connection and acceptance. This story highlighted the ache to find a place where we truly fit in and to lose the feeling of rejection. There was a longing for many of the women to be part of a community, or a family, connected though the beliefs that Caroline fostered. There was a desire for meaningful and intimate relationships, and the need to be accepted and not to feel excluded. It was such a powerful motivator for manty of the characters that quelled and stirred anxiety and insecurity, and was a reminder of the inherent craving for assembly with others.
The ghosts of the past are in all of us, and this story delved into just how far in you want to search for them or keep them bottles away.

[Victoria Spain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! I don't need fancy "twists" at the end or sudden about-faces of characters. This book is set in the Victoria period and there wouldn't be dramatic twists and turns to a typical plot. It's a good, solid story and I found myself wanting to continue to the end to find out what happens. There's nothing wrong with a book that is like this, and in my opinion we could do with more stories that are just entertaining and steadfast like this one. Not everything has to be over-the-top dramatic and making readers gasp.

I liked all of the characters and I felt like they were drawn well. I would have liked some more details around Bella's death - we know that she drowned, but ... where? Was there a pond on the farm and I missed reference to it? I liked seeing how Ellen's parents' withdrawal of affection from her after Bella's death led to certain aspects of her character development. I did find it a little odd that she wouldn't accept people telling her that Bella's death wasn't her fault - at some point, you have to let go of your guilt and move on, right? I don't feel like she ever does.

I liked the character of Grace, I felt like she was neurodivergent-coded. I also enjoyed the variety in back story of the other women in the house. Some of them were just "there" and others had a larger part to play in the story.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. The setting is great, the old drafty house is very gothic and I actually enjoyed reading about the seances. My one quibble would be I'd have liked to have heard how the seance affects were achieved - we know how the wet footprints appeared and the flourescent paint, but not the candle flames or the tapping.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Eryl Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of book

Tara Calaby’s unusual setting deals with spiritualism in late Victorian Melbourne. Her heroine Ellen is gay - her passion for her best friend Harriet has subsided into genuinely sisterly love when Harriet becomes engaged to Ellen’s brother Will. Harriet confuses them both by breaking the engagement. After the deaths of her parents and brothers in a shipwreck Harriet joins a spiritualist church and comes to believe a “message” from the other side: her mother doesn’t want her to marry Will. Determined to prove to Harriet that this is all utter nonsense, Ellen moves into the house where believing women live with their medium but various phenomena work on Ellen’s skepticism. The fact that she blames herself for the death of her little sister 18 years previously plays a big part in the psychological drama that unfolds. Her initial antagonism towards the medium’s daughter becomes its opposite. The question of whether spirits actually exist becomes crucial at a coronial hearing after a death.

This is a well written book that explores interesting aspects of Melbourne society at the time. The credulousness of humans doesn’t change, as we can see when we consider current conspiracy theories. Ellen faces up to her own hypocrisies and shortcomings in her pursuit of happiness. The patient and forebearing Will is the wisest character and perhaps a little too good to be true, given the mores of the time, but he’s an excellent foil.

[Mabearbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling historical fiction novel that weaves together a diverse cast of characters and several interwoven topics. Set in Melbourne, in or around the Victorian period, Tara Calaby centers her story around the a crumbling old mansion that houses a spiritualist group known as The Church Of The Spirit. Caroline McLeod, a so called medium along with her daughter Grace are followed by a group of bereaved and lost women. Ellen Whitfield, a non believer of the occult senses that there may be some trickery afloat when her best friend Harriet breaks off her engagement to Ellen's brother and moves into the mansion after losing her family members in an accident at sea. Heartsick for her brother William at the loss of his fiance and wanting to save her friend from any brainwashing by this cult, Ellen moves into the mansion. Soon Ellen discovers that there's much more to this Church OfT he Spirit than she originally thought.
This is an engaging novel that encompasses themes of love, loss, found family, grief, the occult, spiritualism, a longing for connection, feminism as well as sapphic romance. The story was easy to read, well paced and engaging, however I would have loved for the characters to be a bit more fleshed out. It would have helped if readers were given a bit more of the women's backstory before they entered the mansion. I'm looking forward to reading more from Tara Calaby.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3 stars

The Spirit Circle is a historical fiction story set in Australia, and has some honestly clever plotting. For all of the sisterhood and loving embraces of women, it’s still very manipulative and toxic. When one woman, whose dying mother led her to Madam Caroline, gets a letter from an aunt begging for reconciliation, the church members all assure her that the aunt is lying, obviously, and she needs to stay here where she is loved. They pressure her into giving in to what they want, which is for her to stay.

It’s a book of so many missed opportunities. If you like seances, more seances, and then another repetitive seance, you’ll love this book. If you’re looking for a nice mystery with a slightly gothic feel, you might also enjoy this … but be prepared to read all about Ellen enduring another seance with almost no time for the mystery. For me, this book had a lot of potential, but didn’t live up to it.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[Kira McArdle · Rating 5 out of 5]

After falling in love with House of Longing (Tara Calaby’s debut novel), I knew I was in for a treat with this one—and it did not disappoint. Tara has found this incredibly niche pocket of 19th Century Melbourne-based, sapphic historical fiction and has somehow managed to make it one of my favourite subgenres just from her two books I’ve read.

I was hooked from the start. The supernatural/ritualistic elements were woven in so well that even as the reader, I felt just as uncertain as Ellen (the main character) about whether the spirits were real or just a trick of the mind conjured by overwhelming grief. And then there’s this group of women she finds herself drawn to. The culty vibes are STRONG, but there’s also this genuine sense of connection and belonging that makes everything even more beautiful and unsettling in the best way.

I can’t recommend this enough. Easily a 5-star read and the book that finally pulled me out of my reading slump from Onyx Storm!!

[Ashling · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, and did at first, but the experience ended up being very lacking.

The writing was okay, though there was way more telling than showing. I don't believe using telling over showing is a cardinal sin, but there was too much of it here. I didn't connect to any of the characters and I would confuse who was who a lot. The climaxes were, well, very anticlimactic and the explanation for what really happened wasn't satisfying. Much more emphasis was put on mundane details and then important scenes were rushed through.

This also could have been set anywhere and it wouldn't have made a difference. I wanted Victorian Australian culture to be shown in some, way, shape or form and there was none to be seen. Just basic Victorian mores.

It just needed more care put into it, I think.

*Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.*

[readingwithmissbec · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥 ℂ𝕚𝕣𝕔𝕝𝕖 𝕓𝕪 𝕋𝕒𝕣𝕒 ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕓𝕪

ℙ𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕣:

𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨:
When I say I smashed through this book, I mean I sat for 12 hours and read it from cover to cover.

The thoughts of the supernatural have always been a taboo subject .. the ways of women in Melbourne way back when explore the supernatural .. we meet a found family of women that are strong.

Story centres around Ellen and Harriet and their lives.

Tara Calaby explores, love, friendship, grief and sexuality in Melbourne when these things are not considered respectable for a woman.

I adore the way Tara Calaby wrote this. I just needed more, more of Ellen and Harriet, more of their found family.. I loved every second of this book.

I cannot wait to see what Tara Calaby comes out with next.

𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
0/5

[Caitlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to say first and foremost that the elements within this book were exactly what I was looking for. Historical fiction, Victorian era, and deeply enveloped within the time of seances and mediums.
I can also appreciate strong central female main characters.

Unfortunately this novel did little for me. The plot was mostly unmoving and one wouldn’t even know the setting is in Australia without reading the synopsis. None of that delivered.
The interactions between characters did not feel the right time frame of 150 years ago.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Spirit Circle.
Publication date: January 7, 2025.

[Michelle Best · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this book to be a gothic mystery and in some respects it was. However I would have liked it to be more gothic and to have more suspense / tension.

I liked the characters and found them to be well written. The female empowerment was a nice touch and the friendships were lovely. I also love a book set in those time period and the spiritalism angle was interesting to me.

My biggest problem with it was that the pacing was too slow and repetitive. Ultimately a nice easy read but just a little lacking for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Text Publishing for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

When her friend Harriet becomes involved with a spiritualist group, Ellen investigates, expecting trickery. Instead, she uncovers a far more complex mystery within a gloomy mansion and its enigmatic inhabitants.

This is an immersive and atmospheric read. It’s fascinating how Ellen, despite her practicality, gets drawn into the world of spiritualism. I like how the relationships between the women are woven into the mystery.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Shannon bagnall · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, Honestly for the first 40-60% I was going to DNF it, the only reason I kept reading was I needed to know what happened with Harriet.

The last part was great and I didn’t expect some of the outcomes, saying that it’s a shame the whole book wasn’t that way.

Overall it’s a good book, there is a plot shift towards the end which is good and if you’re considering DNF stick with it.

*full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*

[Desney King · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully crafted gothic thriller with love at its heart., The Spirit Circle explores spiritualism, death, grief, yearning, devotion and the harm that can be caused by secrets and lies.
Tara Calaby has created characters, settings and scenarios that drew me in and kept me turning the pages.
A deceptively easy, light read, this novel enters the realms of the supernatural, never quite confirming nor disproving what exists and what is trickery. I like that.
And I love the cover!

[Jamie Kempke · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and foremost Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me have this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was immediately drawn to this book by the insanely beautiful cover and the intriguing premise of possibly supernatural mixed with historical mystery. Unfortunately, it fell short for me and it was hard for me to stay intrigued. I believe it definitely has the potential to be a wonderful book to others just didn't make it to my list.

[m · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this book and maybe I came into this with too high expectations, but the overall experience turned out to be lackluster. A lot of potential, but execution was wanting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lily Castle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read that could've been tightened up. The first 200 pages are fairly repetitive and the characters' choices don't always make sense, but the last 150 pages ramp up the intrigue and I tore through it. Generally satisfying ending despite some hand-waving.

[Chelsea R.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but the ending felt quite rushed and I was left with the feelings that I’d missed 50-100 pages or so.
Definitely feeling strong autistic vibes from the two main characters.

[Jean Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars for this Aussie spiritual mystery. It was okay. not great, but I enjoyed it.

[Monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the premise of The Spirit Circle. A young girl trying to expose the medium that made her best friend move away? And the main character is a lesbian? Yes, please. But this book is so... not boring, but it lacks something more.

There were moments when I enjoyed the story, especially at the beginning when Ellen was still skeptical about everything and was trying to find some clues. For me, her attitude changed too quickly, and that kinda ruined the fun of the book.

And the same goes with the romance plot. It's supposed to be enemies to lovers, but there's no real hate between the two women. Once they actually start talking, their relationship quickly progresses. I think it would be more interesting if the end reveal happened earlier, and then Ellen and Grace had some real conflict. And the character development would be more interesting.

I think that was the first book happening in Australia that I've read. For sure the first in a historical setting. And I liked this setting a lot. The characters don't have the values and morality of our times, which happens too often with such books. They act like they should according to their times.

As for recommendations, then I think you could enjoy this book if you're looking for historical books that deal with mediums and spiritualism. But if you want a good sapphic romance, then I don't think it's worth it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book. .

[Joana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish (nothing to do with the book), but I loved every minute I was reading it.

[Sarah☃️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun mystery about seances and cults. I couldn’t help but think of Grace as a Tim Burton character